Automatic thread joiner for continuous spinning machines



April 14, 1964 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINER FOR CONTINUOUSSPINNING MACHINES 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 11, 1962 ROBERTOESCURSELL- PRAT BY y 4 ATTORNEYS April 14, 1964 AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINERFOR CONTINUOUS SPINNING MACHINES Filed June 11, 1962 R.ESCUR$ELLPRAT flj 29 1 4 84 L 8/ 5o V 47 55 7 45 5 l 24 86 b 3/ I h f- J I Q In 8 1 I 408 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ROBERTO ESCURSELL- PRAT BY JAM-4 ATTORNEYSApril 1964 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT 3,128,590

AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINER FOR CONTINUOUS SPINNING MACHINES Filed June 11,1962 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. ROBERTO ESCURSELL PRAT BY W QMOKMATTORNEYS P 1964 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT 3,128,590

AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINER FOR CONTINUOUS SPINNING MACHINES Filed June 11,1962 Fig.7

8 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. ROBERTO ESCU RS ELL PRAT ATTO RNEYS A ril 14,1964 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT 3,

AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINER FOR CONTINUOUS SPINNING MACHINES Filed June 11,1962 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. ROBERTO ESCUR SELL PRAT ATTORNEYS April14, 1964 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT 3,123,590

AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINER FOR CONTINUOUS SPINNING MACHINES Filed Jfine 11,1962 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 i ii mi ATTORNEYS April 14, 1964 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT3,

AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINER FOR CONTINUOUS SPINNING mcumss Filed June 11,1962 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Fig. 26 Fig. 2?

INVENTOR. ROBERTO ESCURSE LL PRAT BY WaudM AT TO RNEYS p l 14, 1964 R;ESCURSELL-PRAT 3,128,590

AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINER FOR CONTINUOUS SPINNING MACHINES Filed June 11,1962 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 S 25 6a, I

5 a 1 as 48 67 as T! I '69 9 79 74 75 35 4 2a INVENTOR. ROBERTOESCURSELL- PRAT Maud ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,128,590 AUTOMATICTHREAD J OINER FOR CUN- TINUOUS SPINNING MACHINES RobertoEscursell-Prat, 35 Mandi-i, Barcelona, Spain Filed June 11, 1962, Ser.No. 261,495 Claims priority, application Great Britain June 14, 1961 17Claims. (Cl. 57-34) This invention relates to apparatus forautomatically joining together threads which break during the operationof continuous ring spinning machines.

conventionally, spinning machines are supervised by a skilled operatorwho joins together any threads which may break. Labour costs forsupervising the continuous machines used in a spinning process thereforerepresent a considerable factor in cost of production.

It is an object of this invention to reduce the high labour costsconsiderably and to provide a fully automatic apparatus which, as itmoves along the working fronts of the machine under supervision, checkswhether or not the thread is present in each of the spinning trains,stops when it detects a missing thread and joins the end of the brokenthread with the roving on the front rollers of the drawing system andthen continues its supervisory movements along one or more machines.

The apparatus according to the invention comprises a carriage adapted tomove in front of and along the spinning spindles of one or more machinesand includ ing a detector which upon detecting the absence of one of thethreads moving towards the bobbins, stops the carriage and starts thethread-joining mechanisms means on the carriage are movable along theguide rings of the traveller and move the traveller into an appropriateposition for being threaded with the thread. Also provided on thecarriage on an extractor for extracting the broken end of the threadfrom the bobbin, means for threading such end through the traveller,means for tensioning a thread between the mouthpiece of said extractorand the bobbin, means for threading said tensioned thread through thetraveller, means for raising the extractor together with the tensionedthread, means for threading the same into the thread guide, and a devicefor gripping the thread raised by the extractor and having means forcutting off the excess thread. The latter device places the grippedthread in engagement with the roving issuing from the drafting rollers.

The devices co-operating with the traveller and with the thread reeledonto the bobbin may comprise a raising mechanism which is operated bythe ring rail plate in order to place the last-mentioned devices at alltimes at the required operative height.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings. This embodiment comprises only mechanical motionmeans, but it should be understood that the motion means may beconstituted by others as for example, magneto-electric, hydraulic,compressed air means or a combination of two or more of the said means.The novel features that are considered characteristic of the inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, however, both as to its organization and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbest be understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings,wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout theseveral figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus, some parts being brokenaway in order that other elements may be seen;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus, looking in the direction ofthe arrow II in FIG. 1;

3,128,590 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 FIG. 3 shows the detector and stopmotion which operates when the apparatus discovers a broken thread;

FIG. 4 shows how the detector co-operates with the threads of thespinning machine;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the system for stopping the spindle andmoving the same backwards;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the system for hunting for the travellerring and placing the same in the position for threading;

FIGS. 7 to 10 show various phases of the passage of the thread throughthe traveller;

FIG. 11 shows how the thread end is searched for by a suction tubeplaced over the bobbin;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in FIG. 11;

FIGS. 13 to 15 show the system for moving the thread-searchingmechanism, traveller hunter and thread inserter vertically;

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the passage of the thread through the thread guide;

FIGS. 18 to 20 illustrate the thread-joining device;

FIG. 21 illustrates the device for threading the thread through thetraveller, and

FIGS. 22 to 27 illustrate various phases in the general operation of theapparatus.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a modified apparatus, and

FIGS. 29 and 30 are details of FIG. 28.

The apparatus according to the invention is particularly adapted for usewith continuous spinning machines of the type, best shown in FIG. 2,including a spindle rail 2 supporting a plurality of aligned bobbinsupporting driven spindles 37 to each of which a thread 109 is fed fromdrafting rollers 114, through a fixed guide 119 and a traveller 55 on aring 50 surrounding the respective spindle. All of the rings 50 arecarried by a ring rail 78 which reciprocates axially of the spindles 37to guide the thread 1% along the bobbins as it is wound thereon byrotation of the spindles 37.

The present apparatus comprises, as elements permanently fitted to acontinuous spinning machine for operating the thread joiner, upper andlower brackets 1 and 1' (FIG. 2) secured to spindle rails 2 of thespinning machine; a horizontal bar or rail 3 secured to the top of theupper bracket 1, while a horizontal beam 4 with a vertical surface issecured to the bottom part of the lower bracket 1'. The moving part ofthe apparatus (FIG. 1) takes the form of a casing 5 to which are fittedupper grooved wheels 6 which have horizontal axes and which run alongthe horizontal bar 3, and bottom wheels 7 which have vertical axes andwhich run along the vertical surface of the horizontal beam 4, theco-operation of these elements ensuring that the assembly is vertical.An electric motor 8 is mounted in the casing 5 and is supplied withpower by any known moving-contact system. The motor 8 is of thehigh-speed kind, has one end of its shaft directly coupled to a fan 9and has the other end of the shaft connected to a speed reduction train10 from which the main shaft 11 of the apparatus issues. If required,the fan 9 could be driven by a separate motor. Disposed on the mainshaft 11 is a double clutch device 12 by means of which either a wheel13 or a wheel 14 can be rotated selectively, as will be describedhereinafter. The wheel 13 drives cylindrical wheels 15, 16 and bevelwheels 17, 18 to drive one grooved wheel 6 and therefore to move thecomplete apparatus. The wheel 14 drives cylindrical wheels 19, 20 whichrotate a shaft 21. The clutch 12 can be operated electrically ormechanically by the thread detector, in a manner to be describedhereinafter, the operation being such that for normal operation thewheel 13 is rotated, but when a thread is found to be missing, the wheel13 is disengaged from the drive shaft 11 and the wheel 14 is engaged androtated to operate the thread-joining elements.

The apparatus can move on closed circuits along one or more machines orcan move reciprocatingly along one or more machines; in the case ofreciprocating movement a reversing clutch must be provided inassociation with the wheels 13 to 18 to ensure that the wheel 6 reversesits rotation direction whenever the apparatus reaches the end of itstravel.

The shaft 21 carries a bevel wheel 22 meshing with another bevel wheel23 disposed on a vertical shaft 24. Also mounted on the shaft 21 is acam 25 which operates a joining lever 26 through a roller 27 which isurged into engagement with the cam 25 by a spring 28. The lever 26 hasfeatures which will be described hereinafter. The casing 5 provides arigid mounting for two or more vertical guide supports 29 (FIGS. 1 and2) to the upper ends of which is fixed a top bearing plate 30 for thevertical shaft 24 and on which is slidably mounted frames 45 and 81 thatcarry various operating elements of the device.

The vertical shaft 24 has near its bottom end a cam 31 (FIGS. 1 and 5)which, through the agency of a roller 32, moves a lever 33 pivotable at34 and having at its free end a wheel- 35, the periphery of which iscovered with an adhesive rubber strip 36 (FIG. 5 When the cam 31 isrotated, the rubber strip 36 engages with a spindle 37 having a brokenthread. The wheel cannot be moved by the driven spindle 37, since theshaft of the wheel 35 is provided with a ratchet wheel 38 which isassociated with a pawl 39 articulated to the lever 33 and which preventsthe wheel 35 from being rotated by the spindle 37. The adhesion of therubber strip 36 to the spindle 37 is such that the spindle 37 is stoppedand forced to rotate backwards by means of a quadrant rack 40 rigidlysecured to the vertical shaft 24. The quadrant rack 40 is engageablewith a gear 41 which meshes with a pinion 42 rigidly secured to the axisof the wheel 35, thus ensuring that the spindle 37 concerned is movedbackwards at the required time. Considering that the spindle is alwaysunder the actuation of the driving belt at a very high speed, the forceof the rotating wheel 35 and the adhesion of the rubber strip 36 must besuch to overcome the force of the driving belt which then only can slipon its pulley on the spindle. The roller 32 and the lever 33 whichcarries it are urged into engagement with the cam 31 by a spring 43. Ifrequired, the cam 31 can be of the grooved kind. Instead of the disc 35,an equivalent endless strip can be used.

The shaft 24 is formed with a lengthwise groove 43 in order to transmitits rotation to the elements to be described hereinafter. Bearings 44are slidably mounted on the vertical guides 29 and serve as a supportfor, and are rigidly connected to, the frame 45 which is movable alongthe guides 29. The frame 45 acts as a bearing support for two alignedbearings 46 in which a rod 47 can move transversely of the spinningmachine. Disposed on an end of the rod 47 (FIG. 6) is a device forplacing the traveller in the threading position. This device comprises anumber of small levers 48 and pins 49 projecting from the bottom of thefree ends of the levers 48, the pins 49 engaging with the periphery of aring 58. The levers 48 are mounted on pivots 51 rigidly secured to abifurcated member 52, and springs (not shown) tend to maintain thelevers 48 in the overlapping position shown in chain lines in FIG. 6.Since the parts under consideration are required to penetrate as far asthe rearward part of the ring but could not do so if they were in theinoperative position shown, the bifurcated member 52 is provided on theend of the shaft 47 and has slidingly mounted on it a member 53 which,through the agency of extensions 54, keeps the levers 48 open, rotatingthe same, as shown in full lines in FIG. 6, into their extended positionso that the levers can pass by the sides of the ring 50. When the member53 moves back, the levers 48 close, the pins 49 hearing against the edgeof the ring 58, and when the member 52 is moved back, together with thelevers 48 articulated to it, the pins 49 follow the external peripheryof the ring 50 and force a traveller ring 55, wherever the same may be,to follow the same path as far as the front part of the ring 50. Toensure that the traveller ring is always moved by the pins 49, thepositions at which the pins engage the ring 54) slightly overlap eachother, thus making it impossible for the traveller 55 to be disposed ina zone between the initial points of contact of the pins with the ring50 and thus not be moved.

The members 47, 52 are moved through the agency of a lever 56 (FIG. 1)pivoted on a pin 57 rigidly secured to the sliding frame 45. The lever56 is moved by a cam 58 carried by the moving frame 45 and slidablyengaged on and rotated by the shaft 24 through the agency of the groove43 and a key. The cam 58 acts on the lever 56 through the agency of aroller 59 fitted to the lever, the sliding shaft 47 being acted uponthrough the agency of a rod 60 (FIG. 6) articulated to the member 53.The member 53 abuts two pins 61, 62 secured to the bifurcated member 52and spaced apart at an appropriate distance to allow the member 53 toslide and, when it abuts the pins 61, 62, to produce a to-and-fro motionof the member 52 to affect the opening and closure of the levers 48.

The moving frame 45 carries a U-shaped bracket 63 to facilitate themovement of the sliding shaft 47. Articulated to the ends of the bracket63 are levers 64, 65 for threading the thread (FIGS. 1, 7 to 10 and 21)inside the traveller 55 which, during the previous step, has been placedin the appropriate position. The levers 64, 65 are operated by a cam 66(FIG. 1) which, like the cam 58, is disposed on the moving frame 45. Thecam 66 is slidably mounted on the shaft 24, for rotation thereby,through the agency of the groove 43 and a matching key. The cam 66operates rollers 67, 68 (FIG. 21) associated with levers 6?, 7'0 whichtransmit a rocking motion to the arms 64, 65 through links 71, 72pivotally connected to the levers 64, 65 through the agency of balljoints or the like so that the levers 64, 65 can pivot in the member 63at an inclination to the horizontal and vertical planes, the better toperform their task of passing the tensioncd thread through thetraveller. The member 63 is rigidly secured to the moving frame 45 and,as can be seen in the drawings, is U-shaped to allow the passage of thetraveller hunter and the suction tube.

Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, the lever 64 places the thread 109 near thering 50 below the bottom left-hand part and edge thereof, whereafter thearm 65 catches the thread and keeps it near the right-hand part and nextto the edge of the ring 50, so that the tensioncd thread is disposedbelow the ring 50 and describes an arc and is almost stuck to the edgeof the ring 50. Consequently, when the arms 64 and 65 move apart fromone another, the thread passes automatically through the inside of thetraveller 55, for the thread, having been forced into the positionshown, must be inside the traveller 55 as can be seen in FIG. 10. It isinadvisable for very line and delicate threads to have to describe theare just specified. All that is done with such threads is to engage thethread with only one part of the lower part of the edge of the ring 50,whereafter the traveller is moved from one side to the other by a leverlike the lever 65 so that the thread is passed through the traveller.

The moving frame 45 is always in the working plane of the elements whichit supports, that is, in the plane of the ring 50, since the search forthe traveller and the passage of the thread are performed on such planeby means of a lever 73 (FIGS. 2 and 13) which carries the frame 45 andwhich places the same in an appropriate position because it is securedto a shaft 74 carried by a bracket 75 secured to the framework of theapparatus. Rigidly secured to the shaft 74 is a lever 76 having at itsend a wheel 77 borne by the ring rail 78 of the continuous spinningmachine.

It will be readily apparent that, whatever the position of the ring rail'73 and therefore of the ring 50, the moving frame 45 and the elementsborne thereby are always in a ready-to-operate position, so that asystem of this kind can also be used in different machines consecutivelybecause, owing to the presence of an appropriate inclination at theentrance of the ring rail, the moving frame 45 always takes up thecorrect position automatically, the wheel 77 rolling above the ring railas the apparatus moves along the spinning machines. To obviate the needfor the ring rail not to constantly have to provide all the forcerequired to raise the moving frame 45 with all the mechanisms thereon,the lever device described can be appropriately counter-weighted toreduce the pressure of the wheel 77 on the rail very considerably.

In machines with very rapid winding, and to prevent excessive movementof the moving frame 45 therein in accordance with the reciprocatingmovement of the ring rail, the lever 73 has a pawl 79 engaging in astationary quadrant rack 86 (FIG. 13) to prevent any downward movement.When the apparatus is to be operated for a joining operation, the pawl79 is disengaged from the rack 8 automatically by any device operated bythe thread position detector element, the moving frame 45 beingpositioned in the plane of operation by the roller 77 bearing againstthe ring rail 78. A further moving frame 81 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 14) isprovided above the moving frame 45 and, like the latter, can slide onthe vertical guides 29. The moving frame 81 has vertical bearings 82(FIG. 1) which, like the bearings 44, are adapted to slide along theguides 29. The frame 81 also carries bearings 83 (FIGS. 1 and 14) whichare horizontally aligned and which are disposed transversely of thespinning machine and which guide a suction tube 84 (FIGS. 1, 2, 11 and12). The suction tube 84 comprises a tube having at one end a bevelledaperture 35 of an inclination adapted to the conicity of the top layersof the thread bobbin 37. The angularly downward directed mouth-piece 85can have a special shape or can be prolonged downwards with intention tobe utilized with ringrails having horizontally arranged anti-balloonrings. At its other end the suction tube curves downwards and isconnected to an extensible rubber or plastic tube 86 connected to theinlet of the fan 9. To move the suction tube 84 from its inoperativeposition, disposed in the outside plane of the machine base-plates, tothe operative position, in which the suction tube 84 engages with thetop layers of thread on the bobbin, the tube 84 must first be movedhorizontally until the bobbin is found. To this end, the tube 84 is slidin the horizontal bearings 83 through the agency of a lever 87 which ispivoted at 88 (FIG. 1) and which is moved by the action of a cam 89acting on a roller 90 carried by the lever 87. The cam 89 is guided bythe moving frame 81 and is operated by the vertical shaft 24 on whichthe cam 89 is mounted, the motion being transmitted through the agencyof the groove 43 in the shaft 29 and a key engaged therein. To ensurethat the roller 99, and therefore the lever 87 hearing the same, arealways in engagement with the cam 89, the suction tube 84 is urgedtowards its inoperative position by a spring 91. Since the plane ofoperation of the suction tube is always the plane of the top layers ofthread on the bobbin, and the top layers always correspond to themaximum position of the ring rail 73, the sliding frame 81 is also bornethrough the agency of a lever 92 rockably mounted on the shaft 74. Thelever 92 (FIG. 14) is associated with a pawl 93 mounted on the lever 73and engaging a stationary ratchet wheel 94. Rising movements of the ringrail 78 are imparted to the lever 92 by the member 73, which is disposedadjacent the lever 92 on the same shaft 74, through the agency of a pin95 disposed below the lever 92, the pawl 93 being disengaged from theratchet wheel 94 by means of a top pin when the descent of the ring rail7% is greater than normal, such as occurs when it descends for changingor when the apparatus passes from one continuous spinning machine toanother in which the ring rail is'at a lower level so that the movingframe 31 descends simultaneously with the moving frame 45.

The moving frame 81 must be able to move in two further ways; a rapiddescent, when the suction tube 84 has reached the thread bobbin, inorder that the suction tube 84, may descend inside the ring 51 andengage with the conical layer of thread on the bobbin; and a risingmovement after the tube 84 has sucked the thread off the bobbin, to takethe thread to the joining mechanism. To perform the rapid descent, thesuction tube 84 has, at a distance from its lower part equal to therequired vertical motion, a guide 96 which bears against the end of thelever 92 until, towards the end of its travel, it disengages anddescends the required distance, the suction tube 84 then being oppositethe cone of thread on the bobbin and being ready to search by suctionfor the end of the thread. To perform the rising movement, the movingframe 81 has a vertical toothed rack 97 (FIGS. 1 and 15) engaged by apinion 98 disposed on the top bracket 30. Rigidly secured to the pinion98 is a bevel pinion 99 which meshes with another bevel pinion 100having a vertical axis and being secured to a small cylindrical wheel161 meshing with a quadrant rack 102 carrying a roller 103 adapted tobear against a cam 104 rigidly secured to the end of the shaft 24.Connected to the cam 104 is a quadrant rack which, at a desired fractionof a revolution of the shaft 24, engages with the wheel 101 through theagency of intermediate wheels 106, 107. During the rising movement ofthe ring rail 78, the lever 73 imparts to the lever 92 a rising movementcorresponding to the increment of ascent undergone by the ring rail 78during each oscillation, and the lever 92 transmits the motion to theframe 81, so that the toothed rack 97 moves upwards and therefore movesthe gears 98 to 101, forcing the quadrant rack 102 to disengage itsroller 163 from the cam 104, so that the rising action thereof whichcorresponds to the total movement is reduced in the high proportioncorresponding to the separation between the roller 103 and the cam 104.When the same lifts the moving frame 81, it can do so up to the highestpoint of travel required, with appropriate intermediate stops asarranged by the system of operation of the cam 104. The moving frame 81descends by its own weight and with the help of its toothed rack 97, andthe transmission just described compels the roller 103 to be inengagement with the descending surface of the cam 104 until the frame 81engages with the bearing lever 92, that is, when it reaches the level ofits plane of operation, whereafter the cam 1tl4 disengages from theroller 103.

The quadrant rack 105 and the intermediate wheels 106, 107 serve toraise the suction tube 84 to its initial position after its descent toengage it with the conical surface of the thread on the bobbin. To thisend, after the suction tube 84- has sucked the end of the thread on thebobbin and the same has performed a sufiicient number of backward turnsto locate and unwind the thread, the quadrant rack 10 5 engages with thegear 106 and the same transmits the movement to the gear train 98401,the gear 98 transmitting the movement to the toothed rack 97 which movesupwards, raising the frame 81 and the suction tube 84, the samedisengaging from the cone of thread on the bobbin. Also, through theagency of the lever '87 and cam 89, the suction tube 84 is movedhorizontally and far enough for the horizontal guide 96 to bear againstthe lever 92, so that the rising movement can stop and the quadrant rack105 therefore passes be yond the gear 106 and ceases to actuate thesame. It is now clear that the continuous suction of the thread into thesuction tube and the braking of the spindle after a sutficient number ofbackward turns, as mentioned above, can produce a tensioned or stressedlength of the thread. Meanwhile the very end of the broken thread is notfree but is situated in the interior of the suction tube. The threadingof the broken thread does not consist in intro- '2 ducing the thread endinto the traveller or into the thread guide, but the introduction orthreading is laterally.

This is one of the most important features of the present invention.

The moving frame 81 comprises an arm 108 adapted to pass thread 109(FIGS. 1, 16 and 17) through a thread guide 110. To this end, thesuction tube 84 trains the thread over an am 111 or the thread guide110, the suction tube '84 pausing in its rising movement in thecorresponding plane to perform such operation, whereafter the lever orarm 108, which is pivoted at 11 2, descends rapidly, with the resultthat since the lever or arm 108 almost rubs against the thread guide110, the thread 109 is introduced thereinto. The lever 108 is movedthrough the agency of a set of levers and cams similar to the elements87 and 89 hereinbefore described and disposed in the lower part of themoving frame '81 and driven by the same vertical shaft 24.

The thread-joining lever 26, which can be seen in FIGS. 1, 18 and 19,has at its top end 113 a nosepiece or extension which is a close fit inthe nip of the drafting rollers 114 and 115. The lever end 113 has aninclined rearward edge 116 so that the thread in such part can passreadily to the front part where it must be placed for joining. The leverend 113 has in its upper surface a groove 117 into which the threadpenetrates, the thread being clamped, simultaneously as it is severed,by a member 118 when the lever 26 moves rearwardly and abuts an element119. The severed piece of thread which extends from the gripper 118 tothe suction tube 84 is withdrawn thereby, passing into a wastecollector. When the joiner 113 approaches the rollers to perform thethread-joining step, a member 120 on the joiner 113 abuts the roller 115to open the gripper 118. The released thread is engaged and joined withthe loose fibre or roving issuing from the producing rollers so thatthere is no interruption in the production of thread on this bobbin,Just before joining the end of the broken thread with the parallelizedfibres of the roving, the braking of the spindle has finished and thethread end is newly rotating at high speed and engag ing with the loosefibres of the roving forming immediately a suflicient strong union,performing the desired joining without any additional adhesives or thelike. If required, this joining device can comprise an auxiliary suctiontube to facilitate removal of the roving from the drafting roller.

By way of example, one sole detecting device can take the form of alever entering in sliding contact with the threads one after the otherduring the advancing movement of the carriage or, in the case ofdelicate threads likely to be damaged by' the pressure of the lever, ofa photoelectric cell system or some similar electronic system. In thetextile industry there are well known detecting devices of brokenthreads, one device for each tensioned thread, having the form of alever permanently in rolling or sliding contact with one individualthread. In accordance with the present invention there is only onesingle device mounted on the moving carriage, but it must have a greateror longer shoe, so that during the advance of the carriage the devicecan be always in a horizontally sliding contact with at least one threadand as a maximum with two threads simultaneously, but never with threethreads because in this case the middle thread could be broken but notdetected.

Observing FIGURE 4, the lever 121 has one sliding shoe 121s covering alittle more than the distance between two threads 109, but less than thedistance between three threads. When the lever 121 reaches a drawingstation where the thread has broken, it ceases to have the broken threadbearing upon it and drops forwards slightly to a position 121b, thismovement being convented into the emergence of an electrical contactmember 122 (FIG. 3) which bears against the bottom part of the spindle,the apparatus being placed exactly in the position necessary [forjoining the thread. The member 122 also simul taneously operates anelectric brake (not shown) and the clutch 12 to disconnect the drive tothe wheels 6 and connect the drive to the thread joining system of thecarriage.

The shaft 21 of the joining device comprises a cam 123 which, when it ismoved, moves the lever 121 backwards into the position 121a shown inFIG. 3, to ensure that the lever 121 does not cause any disturbancewhile joining is being performed. Upon the completion of joining the cam123 allows the lever 121 to return to its initial position, whereafter,if the lever 121 engages with the thread but does not pass to theposition 121b, the clutch 12 is changed over and the ordinary mechanismstarted and the electric brake is released. If because of the absence ofthread the lever 121 can move to position 121b, however, the clutch 12remains in the same position and the joining cycle just outlined isrepeated.

When the absence of thread in the zone extending from the draftingrollers to the thread guide is due to outside causes, such as a breakageof the driving belt, breakage of the traveller, lack or breakage ofroving or the like, the cycle just described is repeated indefinitelyand so the device does not work at all, with corresponding consequencesin the machines to which it is fitted. To prevent this state of affairsfrom occurring, the machine starts to operate and leaves the thread tobe joined if it has not been joined in the first, second, third, and soon, attempt, the number of attempts being optional or being selectableby the user by means of a ratchet wheel 124 adapted to be operated by apawl 125 secured to the cam 123 and which at each revolution causes atooth of the wheel 124 retained by the counterpawl 126 to jump, thecounterpawl 126 preventing the ratchet wheel from rotating in theopposite direction to that in which it is driven by a r spring 127. Amember 128 can be placed on the ratchet wheel 124, in accordance withthe number of repetitions required, and operates at the required momentto prevent the lever 121 dropping to restart the joining cycle, thelever 121 staying at the same height as if thread were present until theapparatus starts and the lever 121 can be borne by the nearest thread.The counterpawl 126 is then released for an instant, the ratchet wheelbeing returned to its initial position by the spring 127. Thisinstantaneous release of the ratchet wheel occurs whenever the apparatushas been stopped to perform a joining operation.

A modified embodiment of the apparatus described with reference to FIG.1 is shown in FIG. 28, which discloses only one moving frame or platform45. This system is an improvement because the Whole apparatus is lesscomplicated owing to the suppression of the second higher frame, andbecause the raising means are simplified, but the system is lessversatile than the syswith two or more platforms as described before,owing to the fact that if the system is operating with two verticallymoving platforms there is the possibility of simul taneous movements,resulting in a greater working speed.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 28 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in thatthe suction tube 84 with its mouthpiece together with its moving means,lever 87, cam 89 etc., are mounted on the platform 45, together with thecams 58 and 66 and its rolls and levers for the traveller hunting means,and thereby form a much more simplified structure where the same leversor arms 64 and 65 can be utilized for threading the thread into thethread guide (FIGS. 16, 17) instead of the lever 108 mounted on theplatform 81,

All the movements of the platform 45, where now are mounted all thedifferent means of the previous two platforms, are produced by the lever92 (FIGS. 28 and 29) pivotable on the shaft 74 on bearing 75. This shaft74 receives its rotating movement as described before from the ring railby means of the lever 76 and its roller 77 hearing against the ringrail. As the weight of the platform 45, with all its different meanstogether mounted on it, is too heavy to be raised by the oscillatingring rail and by the cam 145 which effects its elevation to the level ofthe drafting cylinders, there is provided the lever 92 acting under theplatform 45 and rotating about the shaft 74, the long arm of the lever92 being counterbalanced by a strong spring 130 acting on the shortopposite arm 92a.

The exact position of the platform 45 is always obtained by means of thelever 76 fixed on one end of the shaft 74 and bearing against the uppersurface of the ring rail (FIG. 28). A lever 137 (FIG. 29) is fixed onthe shaft 74 and carries a lateral rod 139 which, during the oscillatingmovement of the ring rail, is urged against a piece 140 on the lever 138and urging the same to follow the ascending movement of the ring rail.However, said lever 138 cannot turn downwards to the initial position ofthe ring rail if the lever 137 is moving downwards, owing to the pawl 79co-operating with the ratchet wheel 80.

The lever 138 rotating freely about the shaft 74, is connected pivotallythrough the pivot 138a to an angular lever 136a, b which lever has onits part 136a laterally fixed thereto a rod 141 urging against a piece142 mounted on the lever 92 which, as mentioned before, is acting underthe platform 45 which is receiving by such means the increased ascendingmovements of the ring rail.

The part 136b of the angular lever is urged against the ring 143 whichhas a recess 144 in its periphery, this ring being fixed on the bushing132, and means while the levers 92 and 138 can rotate about said bushing132. On this bushing 132 is fixed another lever 133 which is actuated bythe cam 145 (FIG. 28) mounted on the lower end of the vertical shaft 24,and the lever 133 receives its movement by means of the levers 146, 147through universal ball joints.

The cam 145, rotated by the shaft 24, is then really giving theascending and descending movements to the platform 45 co-operating withthe lever 76 moved by the ring rail.

For example, if the suction mouthpiece has ben horizontally moved to thebobbin and then must descend for entering into contact with the cone ofthe bobbin, the cam 145 acts upon the lever 133 which rotates slightlythe bushing 132 in such a manner that the fixed ring 143 makes arotating movement to oppose its recess 144 to the lever end 136b, andthen the rod 141 on the lever end 136a moves downwards together with thepiece 142 and the lever 92, which movements determine the descendingmovement of the mouthpiece of the suction tube into the inner part ofthe ring 50 (FIG. 10). If the mouthpiece has been in contact with thecone of the bobbin during a pre-calculated period of time, it isnecessary to perform a raising movement in order to withdraw themouthpiece from the bobbin. In this event, the cam 145 in its furtherrotating movement causes an inverted movement of the lever 133 so thatthe ring 143 turns to its initial position and the lever 136a, b turnsto its first position rotating about its pivot 138a, thereby raising therod 141 which lifts the piece 142 and its lever 92 to its initialposition, increased eventually by a small distance corresponding to theincreased height of the ring rail by means of the pawl 79 and theratchet wheel 80.

If the platform 45 then is to be raised further, the cam 145 moves thelever 133 together with the bushing 132 on which is fixed the arm 135,with another rod 148 urging against the other end of the piece 142 ofthe same lever 92. By this means the different heights of the platform45 can be obtained for fulfilling its functions, for example, thethreading of the thread in the gripper, or for threading the thread inthe thread guiding device.

But the traveller hunting device and the traveller threading device mustfollow exactly the oscillating movements of the ring rail and thereforethe platform 45 must follow the oscillation of the ring rail. This isperformed by another lever analogous to the lever 13601, b (not shown)but fixed pivotally to the lever 137 and co-operat- 1% ing with a ringsimilar to the ring 143 with its recess 144.' A rod similar to the rod141 acts in a similar manner on the lever 92 allowing it to follow theoscillating movement of the lever 76 and the ring rail.

All the necessary movements of the apparatus can be simplified.

In FIG. 28 the vertical shaft 24 is actuated directly by the motor 8 andthe reduction gear 10, and the horizontal movement of the carriage onthe rails 3 and 4 is effected by a second motor 131. Utilizing thissystem the clutch device 12 can be suppressed.

In FIG. 28 it can be observed that the lever 26 for join ing the threadend with the roving on the drafting rollers can work in the invertedposition shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 18.

The apparatus described operates as follows:

Where the apparatus is to operate only on a single machine, the guides 3and 4 are connected to the machine ends through the agency of curvedguides which complete the closed movement circuit. If the apparatus isto join broken threads on a number of machines, it can be suspended fromequivalent guides placed at a suitable height to allow staff to movearound freely between machines. In any case the apparatus can moveeither in a closed circuit or in both directions, to deal with one ortwo or more machines. The drive of the electric motor 8, which issupplied through appropriate sliding contacts, is transmitted to thegroove wheel 6 which bears against the guide 3 determining the movementof the apparatus in front of the machine bobbins, the lever 121 bearingpermanently against that part of the threads 109 which extend from thefront rollers as far as the thread guide 110. During the displacement,the wheel '77 at the end of the lever 76 moves above the ring rail 78while transmitting the vertical reciprocations thereof to the movingframes 45, 81 by way of the lever 73, so that the other elementshereinbefore described are always in the required plane of operation forperforming joining operations. As can be seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 22, thatend of the lever or detector 121 which rests on the threads 109 has awidth slightly greater than the distance between two consecutivespindles and less than the distance between two alternate spindles, sothat when the member 121 reaches a spindle, the associated bobbin ofwhich has the thread broken, it ceases to be borne by the thread andmoves into the position 1211) whereupon the electric brake and clutch 12are operated, whereby the apparatus is stopped and the drive engagedwith the joining mechanism. When the shaft 21 moves, the cam 123 firstreturns the lever 121 from its position 1211; to position 121a toprevent it from being an obstacle during the following operations. Asthe lever 121 moves back, the member 122 returns to the position inwhich it was before the machine was stopped. The shaft 21 transmits itsmovement to the shaft 24 through the agency of the bevel gears 22, 23,and the time for joining a thread is one revolution of the shaft 24.

As the members 121, 122 return to the position shown, the wheel 35having the rubber rim 36 moves towards the spindle, the rim 36 engagingtherewith and stopping the same, as can be seen in FIG. 23. The member53 of the traveller placing mechanism then advances, opens the levers 48by way of its extensions 54 and, upon engaging with the pins 61, movesthe members 52 and 47 forward until the pins 49 pass beyond thetraveller guide ring 50. Also, the suction tube 84 is moved by theaction of the associated levers and cams 89, 8'7 and when it reaches theend of its travel, descends, because of the absence of bearing supportby the lever 92, on to its bottom guide 96 until the lever 92 engageswith or abuts the corresponding part of the suction tube 84. The purposeof this descent is for the member on the end of the suction tube 84 topass through the traveller guide ring and for its end 85 to be placednear the conical surface of the final layers of thread on the bobbin(FIG.

111 23). When the suction tube 85 has reached this position, the wheel35 is operated by the quadrant rack 40 so as to move the spindle 37 inthe direction opposite to the direction of normal operation. Thisreverse movement of the bobbin, together with the suction produced bythe fan 9, engages the loose end of the bobbin in the tube 84, asufiicient length of thread end being thus engaged to make a joining atthe drafting rollers.

For working with fine threads the edge of the tube end 85 can havebristles or the like which rub on the bobbin surface to facilitatedisengagement of the broken end.

Once the bobbin has started to rotate backwards, the member 53 returnsso that first the small levers 48 close, then, as the return movement ofthe member 53 continues, the same abuts the pins 62 in the member 52 andcauses the member 48 to return with the member 53. The pins 49 at theend of the levers 48 therefore bear against the ring 50, travelling overthe entire edge thereof and taking with them the traveller 55, whereverit may be, towards the front part of the ring 50. Once the traveller hasbeen placed in the front part of the ring 50, the suction tube togetherwith the associated moving frame 81 is raised rapidly by the quadrantrack 105. The suction tube then performs a rapid return movement to itsoriginal position (lever 87, cam 89), so that when the quadrant rack 105ceases to operate, that is, the toothed rack and the moving frame 81tend to descend, the guide 96 abuts the lever 92 and remains in theinitial position.

The thread, which now extends from the bobbin to the suction tube 84, iscaught by the lever 65 on the moving frame 45 and operated by the cam66, and the thread is moved (FIGS. 7 to 10, 19 and 20) as far as theedge of the ring 50, whereafter the other lever 64, which is also movedby the cam 66, immediately catches the thread and carries the same tothe top left-hand part of the ring 50, the thread thus describing an arehaving as its basis and limit the bottom part of the edge of the ring 50and passing inside the traveller below the outside part thereof. Whenthe two levers immediately return thereafter to their initial position,the thread has been passed through the traveller which is within thezone in which the thread described a semicircle, as can be seen in FIG.24.

After these operations the moving frame 81, together with all the partsincluded therewith, is raised, this time by the cam 104 which acts uponthe roller 103 secured to the quadrant rack 102 to raise the toothedrack rigidly secured thereto.

Since the height of the moving frame 81 on the vertical guides 29 varieswith the position of the ring rail 78, and since the travel of the cam104 must be such as to cover all cases, the same is arranged to havesufficient travel to raise the toothed rack from the lowest to thehighest positions of its travel. If, for instance, the ring rail 78 isin its central position, the moving frame 81 and the toothed rack 97 aremaintained at this level by the lever 92. The toothed rack 102 thereforehas its rollers 103 at a distance from the cam 104 and is not operatedthereby until in its travel it reaches the position corresponding tosuch height, thereafter Continuing its ordinary movement. The sameevents occur during the descent but in the reverse order.

This rising movement of the moving frame 81 continues until the end 85'of the suction tube 84 is a little higher than the thread guide 110(FIG. 24), Whereafter the tube 84 is again moved horizontally towardsthe machine by the means hereinbefore described, so that the thread 109(FIGS. 16 and 24) is placed behind the thread guide 110 and, upon itsreturn movement, the arm 108 operates and, in a rapid descendingmovement, forces the thread completely into the thread guide (FIGS. 17and 25). The suction tube 84- returns to its original internal positionand rises (FIG. 26), while the joining lever 26 with its gripper 113,118 inclines forward to allow the 1?. tube end to pass. reached itshighest position; that is, when the suction tube is above the joininggripper, it shifts towards the machine again while the gripper moves inthe opposite direction, so that the thread, as it moves above theinclined part 116; is placed on the front part of the joiner. The sameimmediately performs a forward movement and the suction tube moves back,the thread passing through the groove 117 and being caught therein,whereafter the joining lever immediately moves back until the member 118abuts the member 119 rigidly secured to the framework. of the apparatus,the gripper thus being closed and the excess thread being severed andwith drawn into the suction tube. The joining lever 26 then makes arapid. movement towards the drafting rollers, while the rubber'coveredroller 35 disengages from the base of the bobbin and the same starts torotate, so that when the joiner comes near the drafting rollers (FIG.27) the same are rotating at full speed. The thread then engages withthe roving which issues therefrom, and almost immediately thereafter thelever 120 touches the bottom producing roller, the impact causing thegripper 118 to open and therefore the gripped thread to be released, sothat the thread is joined and normal thread production restarts.

All the devices described return to their inoperative position and thedetector lever rests on the joined thread, stays in the normal positionand stops the operation of the joining devices and restarts theapparatus for shifting the thread joiner. If, however, the thread hasnot been joined for some reason, the detector lever moves into position121b an'dthe action of the electric brake does not cease, nor does theaction of the clutch 12 change, and so the cycle described is repeatedfor a desired number of times depending on the position of therepetition lever 128.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic thread joiner for use with continuous spinning machinesof the type including a spindle rail supporting a plurality of alignedbobbin supporting driven spindles for each of which a thread is formedof roving issuing from drafting rollers and fed through a fixed guideand a traveller on a ring surrounding the respective spindle, the ringsfor all of the spindles being carried by a ring rail reciprocableaxially of the spindles so that the travellers will guide the threadalong the bobbins as it is wound thereon by rotation of the spindles;said thread joiner comprising a carriage movable along the spindle railof a spinning machine; a detector device movably mounted on saidcarriage and including a shoe for slidably engaging the threads betweenthe drafting rollers and fixedguides of the spinning machine; threadjoining mechanism including means on said carriage for braking andstopping the spindle corresponding to a broken thread, support meansvertically movable on said carriage, an extractor on said support meansand having a mouthpiece for extracting the end of the broken thread fromthe bobbin on such spindle and establishing a stressed length of threadbetween the mouthpiece and the bobbin, means for moving the extractormouthpiece together with said stressed thread into the appropriateposition for being threaded, means on said support means for threadingthe stressed thread into the respective fixed thread guide on thespinning machine, means on said support means for hunting and moving therespective traveller to a predetermined position on its ring, means onsaid support means for threading the stressed thread laterally throughthe traveller, a device for gripping the thread raised by the extractormouthpiece and having means for cutting off excess thread, said grippingdevice being operative to place the cut thread end in engagement withthe roving issuing from the respective drafting rollers and releasingthe cut thread end to be joined with the roving, and means on saidcarriage responsive to the height of the ring rail for moving saidsupport means to the proper When the movingframe has level; and drivemeans on said carriage for driving said carriage and operating saidthread joining mechanism and including clutch means actuated by saiddetector device to drive said carriage until a broken thread is detectedand thereupon stop said carriage and drive said thread joiningmechanism.

2. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 1, wherein saiddetector device comprises a lever terminating in a shoe of a lengthgreater than the distance between two threads and less than the distancebetween three threads, said lever being pivotally mounted so that theshoe normally rests on the threads and retains the clutch meansconnected to the carriage but upon dropping due to a broken thread,connects said clutch means with said thread joining mechanism.

3. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 2, comprising anabutment engageable by said detector lever and terminating in anelectrical contact member adapted to be connected to the bottom part ofthe spindles and transversely movable relatively to the spinning machinebetween a withdrawn position, which it takes up during movement of thecarriage, and a position for coupling with the spindle on which thethread has broken, in order that the thread joining mechanism may becorrectly placed before joining starts.

4. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 2, comprising a raisingdevice which raises said detector lever above the normal operativeposition to rest the lever again on top of the joined thread and torestart the movement of the carriage.

5. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 2, comprising a joiningcycle counter which permits repetitions of the joining cycle in cases offailure to effect joints but connects the mechanism for shifting thethread joiner after a desired number of unsuccessful joining attemptshave been made.

6. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 1, wherein saidcarriage comprises a casing enclosing said drive means, and an upperplatform maintained at a fixed distance vertically above the casing bymeans of at least one column, and said support means comprises at leastone intermediate platform between the casing and the upper fixedplatform and being vertically movable and slidably guided along saidcolumn.

7. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 1, wherein said ringrail responsive means includes a raising mechanism which responds to themaximum height of the ring rail at the moment of thread breakage toplace the thread joining mechanism at the height of the final layers ofthread on the bobbin and of the traveller guide ring, and additionalheight increasing mechanism, which responds to the oscillating movementof the ring rail during the time of the threading process of the joiningmechamsm.

8. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 7, wherein said raisingmechanism includes a releasable retaining device which normallymaintains the joining mechanism in the highest position reached by thering rail in each rising movement, and means for releasing saidretaining device, such means being operated upon actuation of thejoining mechanism to bring said mechanism to the instantaneous level ofworking when there is a breakage, or to return them to the lowerstarting position after a change over.

9. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 7, wherein the raisingmechanism comprises a rocking lever which bears against the ring railand is connected to the support means by a ratchet device which normallyprevents lowering thereof.

10. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 1, wherein saidtraveller hunting means comprises a bifurcated member adapted to bemoved transversely of the machine between a withdrawn position and aposition in which its arms straddle the traveller guide ring of thestation where the breakage has occurred, the arms having two articulatedsearch arms resiliently urged so that their ends bear in overlappingrelationship against the periphery of said ring and pass thereover whenthe bifurcated member returns and moving the traveller to threadingposition.

11. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 10, comprising asecond bifurcated member movable relative to said first mentionedbifurcated member and having front extensions which open the travellersearch arms as it moves forward.

12. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 1, wherein saidextractor comprises a suction tube connected to the entry of an airimpeller and adapted to be moved transversely of the machine forengagement of the mouthpiece with the last turns of thread on thebobbin, and brushing bristles on the mouthpiece for engaging the end ofthe broken thread.

13. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 12', wherein saidspindle braking means comprises a drivable element which is displaceableto be engaged with the lower part of the spindle when a thread breakagehas occurred to stop such spindle, and means for rotating said elementbackwards overcoming the rotating force of the spindle to facilitateunwinding of a predetermined length of thread sucked in by the suctiontube.

14. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 10, wherein saidtraveller threading means comprises two threading arms articulated to abracket disposed one on each side of the traveller-hunting bifurcatedmember and rocking in two planes which are inclined relatively to thering rail, and operating mechanism for moving said threading armssuccessively, first the one arm, which moves the thread stretchedbetween the bobbin and said extractor towards one side of the traveller,and then the other arm, which moves the thread stretched between thefirst arm and the extractor towards the opposite side of the traveller,the thread engaging with part of the periphery of the traveller guidering below the flange edge of the ring so as to be introduced into thetraveller.

15. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 12, wherein saidsupport means comprises a vertically movable bracket which supports saidsuction tube to be moved transversely, whereby the moving means for saidsupport means disposes said suction tube at the approximate height ofthe drafting rollers of the machine.

16. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 12, wherein said fixedguide threading means comprises an articulated arm having a trajectorywhich intersects the thread stretched between the suction tube and thetraveller and resting upon the thread guide opposite the aperturethereof, and means for imparting to said arm a descending movementbetween a position above the thread and a lower position in which itforces the thread to describe a convolution around the end of the threadguide.

17. An automatic thread joiner according to claim 12, wherein saidgripper device comprises a gripper having a nosepiece movabletransversely of the machine between a withdrawn position, disposed belowthe highest position of the suction tube, and a position in which itsnosepiece is introduced between the drafting rollers, carrying thethread with it and placing the same in engagement with the rovingissuing from the drafting rollers to join the thread to the roving, suchgripper having opening means which are operated when it engages with therollers, and means for cutting the excess length of thread which isdrawn into the suction tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,449,742 Foster et al Sept. 21, 1948 2,786,324 Keith et a1. Mar. 26,1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 553,305 Belgium Dec. 31, 1956 294,148 Great BritainOct. 16, 1929

1. AN AUTOMATIC THREAD JOINER FOR USE WITH CONTINUOUS SPINNING MACHINESOF THE TYPE INCLUDING A SPINDLE RAIL SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF ALIGNEDBOBBIN SUPPORTING DRIVEN SPINDLES FOR EACH OF WHICH A THREAD IS FORMEDOF ROVING ISSUING FROM DRAFTING ROLLERS AND FED THROUGH A FIXED GUIDEAND A TRAVELLER ON A RING SURROUNDING THE RESPECTIVE SPINDLE, THE RINGSFOR ALL OF THE SPINDLES BEING CARRIED BY A RING RAIL RECIPROCABLEAXIALLY OF THE SPINDLES SO THAT THE TRAVELLERS WILL GUIDE THE THREADALONG THE BOBBINS AS IT IS WOUND THEREON BY ROTATION OF THE SPINDLES;SAID THREAD JOINER COMPRISING A CARRIAGE MOVABLE ALONG THE SPINDLE RAILOF A SPINNING MACHINE; A DETECTOR DEVICE MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAIDCARRIAGE AND INCLUDING A SHOE FOR SLIDABLY ENGAGING THE THREADS BETWEENTHE DRAFTING ROLLERS AND FIXED GUIDES OF THE SPINNING MACHINE; THREADJOINING MECHANISM INCLUDING MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE FOR BRAKING ANDSTOPPING THE SPINDLE CORRESPONDING TO A BROKEN THREAD, SUPPORT MEANSVERTICALLY MOVABLE ON SAID CARRIAGE, AN EXTRACTOR ON SAID SUPPORT MEANSAND HAVING A MOUTHPIECE FOR EXTRACTING THE END OF THE BROKEN THREAD FROMTHE BOBBIN ON SUCH SPINDLE AND ESTABLISHING A STRESSED LENGTH OF THREADBETWEEN THE MOUTHPIECE AND THE BOBBIN, MEANS FOR MOVING THE EXTRACTORMOUTHPIECE TOGETHER WITH SAID STRESSED THREAD INTO THE APPROPRIATEPOSITION FOR BEING THREADED, MEANS ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR THREADINGTHE STRESSED THREAD INTO THE RESPECTIVE FIXED THREAD GUIDE ON THESPINNING MACHINE, MEANS ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR HUNTING AND MOVING THERESPECTIVE TRAVELLER TO A PREDETERMINED POSITION ON ITS RING, MEANS ONSAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR THREADING THE STRESSED THREAD LATERALLY THROUGHTHE TRAVELLER, A DEVICE FOR GRIPPING THE THREAD RAISED BY THE EXTRACTORMOUTHPIECE AND HAVING MEANS FOR CUTTING OFF EXCESS THREAD, SAID GRIPPINGDEVICE BEING OPERATIVE TO PLACE THE CUT THREAD END IN ENGAGEMENT WITHTHE ROVING ISSUING FROM THE RESPECTIVE DRAFTING ROLLERS AND RELEASINGTHE CUT THREAD END TO BE JOINED WITH THE ROVING, AND MEANS ON SAIDCARRIAGE RESPONSIVE TO THE HEIGHT OF THE RING RAIL FOR MOVING SAIDSUPPORT MEANS TO THE PROPER LEVEL; AND DRIVE MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE FORDRIVING SAID CARRIAGE AND OPERATING SAID THREAD JOINING MECHANISM ANDINCLUDING CLUTCH MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID DETECTOR DEVICE TO DRIVE SAIDCARRIAGE UNTIL A BROKEN THREAD IS DETECTED AND THEREUPON STOP SAIDCARRIAGE AND DRIVE SAID THREAD JOINING MECHANISM.